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Wearables and wellness for small businesses

| Mar 17th, 2016

What’s the future for wearable technology? Will connected clothing soon be the norm? How do they connect to wellbeing?

This year has already been a significant one for wearables, with Mobile World Congress in February presenting a selection of more streamlined VR headsets. This week, the Wearables Technology Show at London’s ExCel centre focused on this area of the market entirely, showcasing clothing, wrist-based devices and augmented eyepieces. The future of wearables is looking strong…

One of the most striking developments in the wearables industry is how many devices are useful to small businesses, as well as consumers. Wearables look set to transform the world of business, from developing superior stock-taking skills, to counteracting bad posture at your desk. We’ve handpicked five highlights– including several that improve wellbeing and wellness – in the video above that could help you and your business take advantage of what’s on offer.

Jaguar’s Active Key for Land Rover

One for anyone that’s ever lost their keys (so, everyone), this car accessory works specifically with the F-Pace performance SUV. The waterproof band, which looks like a standard fitness tracker, doubles up as the car key. It’s a fantastic wearable as it takes the place of your primary keys and enables car unlocking straight from your wrist.

MainTool

If you like the look of a traditional timepiece, but want the functionality of a smart watch, MainTool is the answer. It has all the smart tech without a screen in sight, so you can keep your favourite watch face while still having the benefits of a smart watch. The technology integrated into the strap will vibrate when you get an alert, track your heart rate, measure body temperature and count the steps you take.

TomTom Golfer

On first impressions, this isn’t a business accessory – unless your business is done on the golf course. But with automatic shot detection, score keeping and post-game analysis, the Golfer 2 will do the thinking for you, freeing up your grey matter to focus on closing the deal – or the shot at hand.

Sony Smart Eyeglasses

These revolutionary glasses have the potential to transform business as you know it. Consider warehouse stock-taking. Once you have the glasses on, you see a visual checklist that gets ticked off as you scan products. Another example is Remote Guidance, which offers step-by-step instructions to remote workers. There’s a two-way communication feed pairing the eyewear’s 3-megapixel camera and display with the data connectivity of its paired smartphone.

Sensoria smart socks

To prove that just about every wearable has been considered, Sensoria have unveiled a pair of smart socks. Featuring sensors that measure pressure points when landing, they can voice coach you when running, helping you improve your step and technique. This has the added advantage of counteracting potential damage hours in front of a desk can inflict on office-based workers’ posture.

Those have been our highlights from London’s Wearable Technology Show 2016, for more on smartphones that connect to these wearable devices, visit businessshop.o2.co.uk

For free, impartial business tech help and advice, why not book a session with an O2 Guru? They’re available online, in store and over the phone.